Firms rejected by banks get loans lifeline thanks to new online service

More than two dozen finance firms have
volunteered to join a scheme to offer alternative lending to small
companies turned away by banks.

The online scheme plans to take advantage of new rules being proposed by Whitehall that will force banks to direct companies to alternative lenders if they refuse to offer loans themselves.

The online service, called Alternative Business Funding, said 26 providers had applied to feature on the site in the hope of taking a slice of the small business finance market.

Options: Alternative Business Funding aims to bridge the gap between small firms and alternative loan providers

The Government has been consulting on plans to require banks to give information on small companies they reject for finance to other possible lenders. The consultation closed on Friday and a definitive plan is expected within weeks.

The proposals are designed to bridge the gap between small firms and alternative loan providers, many of which are not well-known names.

The ABF website has already launched in anticipation of the Government introducing the new rules. It is a collaboration of finance providers including Pensionledfunding and Platform Black, which provides loans to companies that are waiting for invoices to be paid.

The group said it had received positive feedback from the Treasury at a meeting on Thursday, and it believes the Government could act sooner than expected. It has also offered to hand over control of its website to the Government to form the cornerstone of the new policy.

ABF co-founder Adam Tavener said: ‘Our submission includes the offer of placing the ABF portal under a neutral and independent management structure so that it can be easily adopted and expanded to form the basis of the private sector platform solution to this problem. Effectively the hard work has been done.’

Bill Morrow, founder of Angels Den – the latest funder to join ABF – said there was no shortage of people looking for extra capital.
He said: ‘I feel sorry for the banks, but the real losers are the companies who don’t know any different but to go to the banks.’

Other platforms include the CBI’s FindmyFinance, the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers’ findSMEfinance, FundingStore.com and BetterBusinessFinance.co.uk.

Investment manager Nicola Horlick, who is launching alternative finance provider Money & Co next week, said: ‘In many ways referral gets banks off the hook. I don’t think they’re that upset about having to refer firms to alternative finance.

‘What’s interesting is that 92 per cent of small and medium companies still borrow from a bank, and only 8 per cent get money from an alternative source. I’m not aiming at the eight. I’m aiming at the 92.’